Harry Potter getting darker?

[I, Brian]

I've seen I & II and then hired the Goblet of Fire film out last night and watched it - was really surprised at how dark it was.

Potter and friends growing up is one issue, and I thought well done - but there seems to be an overall air of majesty and wonder disappeared from Hogwarts.

I remember in the first film we saw lush stairways with red carpets, paintings on the walls, and of course the magical way they moved.

In Goblet of Fire, it's just plain cold stone stairways.

A small point maybe but it seemed to underline the difference between the first and latest Potter films - the warmth seems to have gone out from the magic and wonder.

Question is, is this very much an expression of the tone of the books?

[rune]

I think the movies do reflect the darker aspects of the books. Despite these books being a YA story, they can be quite dark in the subject matter broached. I found the interview on Goblet of Fire with Fiennes explained it quite well, he hit the nail on the head when he mentioned the underlaying unpleasant nature of some of the aspects in these books.

[dwndrgn]

I've just re-read this series so I'll have a go at an answer for you:

They do increasingly get darker. However, as the movies have to cut them down for a reasonable viewing time, they do lose a bit of the magic, wonder and humor that is generally sprinkled through the books. You also have to take into account that all four movies had different directors - they tend to color the interpretation in their own way.

In the books, I think of it as the growing up of Harry, it is mirroring our increasing responsibilities as we get older and how the magic of youth is so fleeting. But, even though they do get darker, they definitely aren't gloomy and depressing if that is what you are asking.

[electricdragon]

One word.....duh

[Brown Rat]

Yes, darker. And more adult, more psychologically complex. I like the increasing darkness in the novels (and in the films), but I have no idea if children enjoy it.

[carrie221]

I agree that the books are becoming increasingly dark as they progress but I think that does have to do with the character's ages... as they all mature and become older they are facing a war. They no longer see the magical world strictly through the eyes of a child with wonder but through the eyes of young adults who see that magic can harm and even kill.

The war is changing the tone of the books quite a bit and all the death that keeps coming and violance is destroying the sweetness of magic as it was seen in the first few books. Events that happened earlier as they are now being understood are affecting all the characters and the feelings of the books. Harry and Hermine especially are seeing more and more that magic is not the cure all and that it has its downfalls.

[Joel007]

The kids grow up as they read it, in theory.

[Wishful]

The series is definitely getting darker. Or maybe 'mature' is a better term.
From the end of book 4 and onwards the focus slides more towards the dark arts. The characters actually get to experience the evil of the dark arts themselves, instead of just practising Defence Against The Dark Arts. People getting discriminated, tortured, murdered. It was an unwise decision of Warner Bros to attract a young audience to the first films (think Harry Potter colouring books...) Because with the newer movies it's inevitable to show very un-childish things indeed.

I do sometimes think Harry is behaving too adultlike for his age. How many 16-year-olds do you know who have thoughts like Harry has in HBP?

[carrie221]

I think that most 16 year olds in Harry's position would think that way... he literally has the weigh of the world on his hands

[MJRevell]

Yeah, 16 is pretty much exactly the same as 17 or 18. It's only two years away from officially being an 'adult'. I can imagine many a 16 year old thinking as he does.

When people ask JKR about the darkening of the series, she replies with something along the lines of 'what made you think book 1 was not dark?'

And she has a point: we start the book with two deaths; there is a hooded figure drinking unicorn blood in a haunted forest; there is an evil wizard possessing a man and living in the back of his head... thats pretty dark stuff.

[dustinzgirl]

I liked the warmth better. I agree, they are becoming darker and scarier, I almost didn't let my youngest son watch the last movie with the creepy guy, but he whined and cried so we let him see it. I think the problem is that they are trying to reach the older, more adult audience, and I wish they would stop that. I want harry to hang onto that innocence and goofiness, losing it is just kind of sad.

[Dave]

Brian, I have read all the books and would agree with Carrie221.

Yes, the books do get increasingly darker with deaths of characters and more supernatural things, and they get more adult as the young characters get older. But, the the main reason that the films have "lost their overall air of majesty and wonder" as you described is that while the books increase in size from 230 pages to 1000 and 900, the films have remained the same length. You need to cut out a lot of detail to achieve that and it is generally the side-plots and unecessary dialogue, to concentrate on what the director sees as the main plot.

Also, I have to say that the actors have aged faster than they can make the films. One book relates to one year at Hogwarts. Harry joins aged 11 and will leave at age 18. They have only made 4 films in 6 years and the actors and actresses are already 16 when they ought to be only 14.

[BookStop]

Brian - have you not read the books? If you've enjoyed the movies at all, you really should give books a try. The movies manage to capture the bare essentials of the story, but that's it. The books do retain more of the magic and depth of the characters and theri surroundings much better than the films. Personally, I don't like the films (1st one was ok), but the books are among my favs., darkness and all.

And yes, kids(ages 8 and up) read them and have no trouble at all adjusting to the growing maturity level of Harry and the rest.

[MJRevell]

Have to agree with BookStop - the books are by far better than the films.

[carrie221]

The books are a lot better than the movies... I do not know if it is true but I heard that they were going to make the last few movies back to back so that they can finish them all soon so that they will not loss the actors